Forgiveness
by ViralWolfGirl
Summary: It's New Year's Eve - a time to forget grudges and move on. Tory's never been a big grudge holder, at least, not since Ben's mistake. But when someone from her past shows up, someone she hoped she'd never see again, can she forgive and forget? Or will it be too hard? Set ten years after Terminal; minimal spoilers. Also some possible spoilers from Code in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! So this is a story I've been thinking about writing for a while now, and finally decided to do it. If you haven't seen the other story I just posted here's the thing: I am NOT going to be updating any other stories I currently have on the site. I'm just going to say it here instead of typing everything out again. If you want more info on why, go to the other story I just posted. It's in the first paragraph of the author's note. Also insert my usual speech about reviews. Okay, on with this story!**

**Other than Holly, I do NOT own any of these characters. They all belong to Brendan and Kathy Reichs.**

It was New Year's Eve, and we'd all gathered on Morris Island to celebrate.

After graduating high school, Ben had decided to wait a year before college, then started with Shelton, Hi and I. We'd all attended College of Charleston, not wanting to travel far away and also not wanting to be separated. We were pack. We all still lived less than an hour away from the city.

"Tory, look!" Holly ran up to me and pointed at the horizon towards Charleston, drawing me back to the present. They were setting off fireworks in the harbor.

"They're pretty, Holly," I said, distracted, looking over the crowd of gathered families for Ben.

Who the hell is Holly, you ask?

Well, she's my seven-year-old half-sister. Yeah, I was pretty shocked when Dad and Whitney dropped that bomb on me senior year of high school.

A sudden cheer went up as a particularly impressive display of fireworks went off. As it lit up the sky, I was able to find Ben standing in a circle with Hi, Shelton, Ella and Chance. Hi had an arm around Christina, his wife. Ella was leaning against Chance, and Shelton was whispering something to Jessica, his girlfriend.

Hi and Ella had dated a while during junior and senior year, but when Ella announced she was going to California for college, they'd broken it off. And then, when she'd come back from school to visit for winter break, she and Chance had started dating. I still had never figured out whether they were madly in love, or if it was pressure from her parents, but they were married less than two years later. It was the biggest Charleston wedding of the decade. But whatever it was it worked out, because they were still happily married.

I know what you're all wondering. What about Ben and I?

Well, we stayed together and had gotten married five years ago, when I was twenty and he was twenty-two. Yeah, we were young, but we'd been together for over five years already and knew what we wanted.

Those few years were really confusing for Dad. He had a baby with his wife, only to see his other child get married less than two years later.

Holly ran off to find her friend, while I stood up to go over to Ben. Someone offered me a drink on my way over, but I turned it down for two reasons.

One, after mom's accident, I'd sworn never to drink and held true to that to this day. And two? I was pregnant. The person who offered me the drink must have been either truly stupid and not known pregnant women can't drink or drunk as shit (or both, you have to be stupid to get that drunk) because, at seven months in, it was fairly obvious to everyone who even glanced my direction.

Ben glanced up and saw me walking in his direction, and quickly excused himself from the group. He came over and wrapped his arm around my back. "Hey," he said and rested his hand over my stomach, where it looked like I'd swallowed a fully inflated beach ball. "How are you?"

"I'm fine."

"How's Colleen?" Ben asked. When we found out we were having a girl, all we needed to do was look at each other to agree: we were going to name her after my mom. For a while we were worried that she'd be born with weird wolf parts mixed in, but ultrasounds showed she was completely healthy, to our relief.

"She's fine, but I think she's trying to kick her way out of me," I said.

"She's just impatient, like her mother," Ben said, smiling, now resting both his hands over my stomach. He loved to feel her kick.

I snorted. "She has a temper, like her father."

We'd been through this conversation before, at least once a week since she started kicking. Among many other debates. It didn't matter, we already would do anything for her no matter what.

We started walking over toward the others, with a minute left until midnight. I noticed another car pull up. A bit odd, coming to the party this late. There was the driver and at least one passenger.

The countdown began, distracting me from the car. I joined in, shouting the numbers from ten as we neared the new year. "10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1!"

When the countdown reached zero, Ben pulled me in for a kiss. As he did, I got a glance over his shoulder at the man who'd gotten out the passenger seat of the vehicle.

And froze completely.

I knew that man.

Hated him with every cell in my body.

Ben sensed that I'd frozen, looked up at me, then turned around following my line of sight. He looked back, confused.

"Tory? Are you okay? Do you know him? Tory!" He was getting really concerned now.

The man had stopped, and was looking directly at me, too. I took a step back and sank into the nearest seat.

"Tory? Do you know him?" Ben persisted, grabbing my hands in his.

"Of course I know him," I whispered. "How could I forget the face of the man who killed my mother?"


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! I know it's been a long time since I've updated anything, and a really, really, long time since I've updated this story. I started this chapter a long time ago but only just finished it, so here you go!

_Mom should have been back by now. She'd ordered the pizza before she left; it would have been done before she got there. She'd likely just seen someone she knew, started a conversation, and didn't or couldn't text to let me know she'd be late. Yes, that's what happened; she did it all the time. She wasn't answering her phone, but she always forgot to charge it anyway._

_But still. A tiny nudge in my chest; a small instinct, told me something was very, very wrong. _

_I trusted those instincts._

_I'd been pacing for fifteen minutes when I heard gravel crunching under tires in the driveway. _Finally. _I breathed out and the tension left my body, as I started toward the front door, ready to open it for her._

_Then the doorbell rang._

Ben froze, his eyes locking with mine, hands tightening on mine, as he tried to process what I'd just said.

"Tory," he breathed. "Are you sure? That's him? I thought the sentence was for fifteen years. How is he here?"

I looked away from Ben, at the man. _Alvie Turnbauer. The man who killed Mom. _He'd stopped when he realized I saw him, and he stared at me now. "It was only ten years," I forced out, voice barely loud enough to be heard among the cheers around us.

Of course, in the past few months I'd known he'd be getting out soon, especially with the ten year anniversary of Mom's death as a reminder, but...it was something I tried not to think about. Actually, I pretty much completely avoided it, as usual.

Ben looked at me, then his face hardened, and he straightened. "I'm going to kick his ass to sixth century Antarctica," he muttered, turning to go over there. Mom's killer (I couldn't bear to call him by name after the horrible crime he'd committed) stood still, looking in our direction. Ben was halfway to him.

"Ben!" I called out, and as quickly as I could, followed him and grabbed his arm. "Don't touch him, just make him leave. Please," I said. "He isn't worth it. I just want him gone."

He opened his mouth as if to argue, but looked at me, and at my bulging stomach, then just said, "Okay. I'll make him leave."

"Thank you."

I turned my attention back to the fireworks, fighting off tears after the reminder of Mom's death.

_I was sitting on the couch in the living room, and a police officer was working up to telling me something very, very bad. I could tell she was trying to be gentle, but her eyes were averted and her posture was stiff. It wouldn't lessen the blow at all. She'd asked me where my father was, and tensed even more when I said I didn't have one._

"_Victoria- can I call you Victoria?"_

"_Tory."_

"_Okay. Tory."_

"_What do you have to tell me? I know it's bad. Just do it."_

_She stiffened, forced herself to make eye contact with me. "Tory, your mother was in an accident."_

_I'd known that already. Hadn't wanted to admit it. Couldn't admit it._

"_How bad? Is she in the hospital?" This one, I forced myself to admit. _She's in the hospital. It wasn't that bad, but she went to the hospital just in case, and couldn't call me. She's fine.

"_No, Tory, she isn't."_

_Hearing that should be a relief; instead, my stomach clenched tighter. "So it wasn't that bad then? If she's not at the hospital, she has to be okay, right?"_

"_Tory-"_

"_Where is she?"_

_She flinched, and I knew. "No. No."_

_Quickly, she came and sat next to me. "I'm sorry, Tory. She didn't make it."_

I was vaguely aware of Holly attempting to show me something, but I couldn't concentrate enough to hear what she was saying.

"I just want to talk to her!" someone yelled.

"Too bad," I heard Ben say, from a distance. "She doesn't want to talk to you. Or see you ever again. Neither do I. Get out of here. Now."

The impulse to look over my shoulder at the man who'd killed my mother was tempting, but I resisted. I told myself he wasn't worthy of my attention. _He's not. Don't look. Ben will handle him._

"Victoria!"

_Don't look. Just walk away._

_Should you?_

Startled by that idea, I thought about it. He didn't deserve anything from me, and wanting to speak to me after the crime he'd committed against my family spoke of an unbelievable level of entitlement. He had no right to be in the same state as me.

But now I had the chance to describe to him exactly everything he'd put me through.

No. He wasn't entitled to me even acknowledging his existence.

I focused all my attention on where Hi and Shelton were standing, and forced myself to walk in their direction. Wiping my hand over my face where a tear had escaped, I thought of happy things, like Colleen. We'd just finished the last touches on her room; finished painting the walls; arranged everything the way we wanted it. We started packing hospital bags, to have them ready for when I went into labor. Both Ben and I were terrified we wouldn't be good parents, and we were obsessing over having everything perfect.

As I reached Hi and Shelton, a car pulled away. Hopefully, it was him, and Ben's threat had been taken seriously.

Hi glanced up towards me as he heard my approach, but his smile disappeared when he saw my face. "Tory? What's wrong?"

"I-"

"Tory!" Ben called. He ran up behind me and grabbed my arm.

I turned around to face him, and he wrapped his arms around me and pulled us as close together as he could. "Are you okay?"

"No."

"Come on. Let's go home."

Hi and Shelton asked what was wrong, and Ben led me away with a "We'll talk later," tossed over his shoulder.

"Will he stay away?" I whispered.

"Don't worry about him now. Let's just go home," he said, and quickly kissed me when we reached our car.

Okay so there you go! This was a hard chapter to write, partly because I haven't written anything in a while and also because it's been a while since I've read or written anything to do with Virals (which I really need to read again), and also just because this is a hard topic to write about. So I know that at some parts this chapter doesn't really flow nicely, but otherwise just let me know what you thought and hopefully I'll be able to update soon. Thanks!


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